Session 6: The Dead Hole Gang

Session 6:
Vance was laid to rest in a grave outside the abandoned Mine Shack. The groups new ‘you dig your grave when you join the group’ policy seemed wise.
The group of adventurers decided they had best muster up as many people as possible to fill out their ranks. Aarth returned to the groups ranks, and they found a new member the next morning. A dwarf on a wagon pulled by a pair of horses showed up at their doorstep.
It seems he was sent by the dwarves of the Greysmere Covenant to protect Bornir. His name was Morgrim, a doughty Dwarven fighter with a great axe, hammer, spear and throwing axes.
With their ranks numbering 8 now the group headed to the shack owned by Gerek, a member of the gang of toughs employed by Ragnolin Dourstone and thought to have kidnapped the prostitute ‘Constance Grace’ from the Midnight Salute (a whore house in Diamond Lake).
The shack proved to hold little information, but someone had carved the words ‘Dead Hole Gang’ into a beam. Also a piece of green silk fabric was found under a chair, probably belonging to Constance.
Mendax confirmed that Constance was wearing a green silk outfit the night she disappeared. He also heard from the madam of the Midnight Salute, that a mine known as the ‘Dead Hole’ lay outside town a few miles to the east. It was closed down after some deaths as she recalled, about 5-6 years ago.
The group headed to the Dead Hole, and despite an encounter with dog sized centipedes, they arrived at an overgrown hole in the ground. Old broken timbers lay rotting on the ground, an old sign was too weathered to read.
They headed into the tunnel, which wound down and around and ended in an oiled canvas tarp stretched taut across the tunnel. Morgrim slashed it with his axe and could see a torch lit room beyond with several tunnels leading from it. In the room were 6 figures.
Im was the first to sprint through the opening in the tarp, and he narrowly avoided a trap. The tarp had numerous small fishing hooks sewn into it, and was doused with oil. As he leapt through, the trap triggered and the tarp immolated. It fell to the ground rather than wrapping around Im. The rest of the group had to leap over the flames to enter the melee which followed, some burning themselves.
The 6 figures consisted of a tall slab of a barbarian with blue painted face, shield, breast plate and wielding a battle axe, a man in light armor with a glaive, a man in light armor with a spiked chain, an archer with a composite short bow, a bearded man in light armor with a long sword and shield, and a cowled woman in heavy armor.
The woman demanded they leave and they demanded Constance Grace be produced or else… A fight ensued.
The group had a hard time with the reach weapons of the enemy. Immediately Feldnar cast a sleep spell which affected the glaive wielder and the bowman. The bearded man with the sword started to awake them immediately. Morgrim charged into combat targeting the female priestess. She almost immediately cast a silence on the group. If they were to cast any spells they needed to press into the room.
Once in the room Mendax played his battle chant and casts some daze spells to some small effect. Mostly to keep the glaivesman from pressing attacks as the group pressed into the room. Aarth and Mouse started firing bows. Imm went down under assault from the barbarian axe wielder and the man with the spiked chain. Bornir and Lath followed up and Bornir dragged Imm down a side hallway to heal. Feldnar was downed by the archer, but healed after a bit by Lath.
Things were looking grim when Morgrim went down under attacks from the priestess, the barbarian and the glaivesman. Mose went into combat using his tumbling skills to get past the reach weapons. He was tripped by the man with the spiked chain, and the archer shot a deadly arrow into his side putting him down.
Thankfully Bornir and Imm charged back into combat. They forced the archer to retreat and started attacking the man with the chain. Mendax and Aarth likewise resumed firing from the side passage down which they had taken cover.
The evil priestess produced a wand and cured the glaive wielder. She was then pressed in combat by Lath after he had revived Feldnar.
Bornir revived Mouse. Feldnar’s color spray took out the glaive wielder and archer. Imm scored a severe attack on the barbarian who had healed himself with a potion, then the chain wielder and axe wielding barbarian were taken down by weapons.
Soon it was the entire group, including Morgrim who was cured, versus the priestess and the bearded sword wielder, Thurbiss, who had taken a potion of barkskin. They didn’t last long.
The archer and glaive wielder were bound and soon became conscious. The archer, Gerek, seemed the more talkative of the two. He told Mendax the wench Constance had been given to the priestess, who in turn had thrown her down a hole where some creature lived. The creature down there was the reason the mine had closed in the first place and the priestess, Yazarax, was communicating with it.
Constance was thrown down the hole a mere half hour previous. Mendax dangled the glaive wielder, named Brekard, over the hole to confirm that the archer story was true. Imm had a problem with Mendax’s tactics and reluctantly confronted the Rhenee about threatening a Prisoners life.
Mendax got the information he needed and the group spiked and dropped rope down the 20’ deep hole. Soon Mouse, Morgrim, Bornir and Lath were at the bottom, when a blood curdling scream came from the darkness beyond.
They rushed to find Constance and came into a more natural cavern, Constance lay 20’ft away. Her leg trapped under a heavy stone. Menacing her was a creature clinging to the stone wall 15’ above her head. A large spider like creature. Red and black in color, it’s body was covered in spikes, upon rested grisly trophies, a withered hand, an old skull, etc. The creature also had dozens of human like eyes all over it’s spider-like head.
Morgrim threw a spear at the creature and missed. The rest of the group scrambled to get into the room. The creatures climbed above the entrance and shot it’s fangs like harpoons at Lath and Imm. Missing the fangs were attached to a length of web like material and retracted immediately.
Bornir cast Enlarge on Morgrim, and he took a hack at the creature, which backed furth up the wall. The rest of the group gave ground and started shooting bows and slings at the creature. The creature shot it’s fangs at Morgrim which hurt but the creature was unable to reel him up, since he was a great deal larger. Eventually the missile fire felled the abomination.
Constance was saved. The group gathered up treasure. An old ogre’s skeleton and a number of coins lay on the floor. Mouse climbed up to a ledge some 30’ up, while Morgrim examined the collapsed tunnel at the back of the cave. Mouse bagged and lowered coins and other booty.
Morgrim found the dried withered body of a man once wearing leather armor and wielding a sword and bow. Morgrim picked the corpse up while still enlarged and tossed it toward the center of the room so the spell casters could detect on it along with the items Mouse was lowering.
Morgrim spotted something odd where he had touched the corpse, and stripping his mailed gloves he saw a small grub entering his flesh! Dreaded rot grubs! He could see them traveling up his arms. He sank his dagger into his arm and cut one of the wriggling horrors out, but more remained.
Feldnar unleashed his new wand of burning hands directly onto Morgrim’s arms, scouring him in fire and killing the rot grubs. The Dead Hole almost claimed another victim.
Now all that was left was to talk to Constance and figure out what to do with the prisoners.